By John Majau
Meru farmer, politician and lawyer Mugambi Imanyara has pledged to push for the write-off of Sh34 billion owed by tea factories within 18 months. He blamed the mounting debts and the disputed 0.8 per cent tea levy for low farmer earnings.
Mr Imanyara, who is popularly known for his philanthropy towards residents from humble backgrounds, said Miciimikuru factory recorded the lowest bonus in the Mt Kenya region, paying farmers Sh20 per kilogramme. He attributed this to the 0.8 per cent tea levy, fertiliser costs and debts owed by tea factories.
He claimed that tea factories across the country had accumulated loans amounting to Sh34 billion, with Miciimikuru accounting for Sh900 million.
He appealed to President William Ruto to consider extending debt relief to the tea sector, as he had done for sugar factories in western Kenya.
Mr Imanyara was speaking to residents at Kiolo in the Miciimikuru area, Tigania East Constituency, Meru County.
ALSO READ:
“Miciimikuru recorded the lowest bonus in the Mt Kenya region after paying farmers Sh20 per kilogramme. This can be attributed to the 0.8 per cent tea levy, fertiliser costs and debts owed by tea factories. I am appealing to President Ruto to consider extending debt relief to the tea sector just like he had done for sugar factories in western Kenya. If he could write off the debts, Miciimikuru farmers could get a better bonus of more than Sh50,” he said.
Mr Imanyara has declared his intention to vie for the Meru Senate seat currently held by Senate Deputy Speaker Kathuri Murungi. He promised that if elected senator in the August 2027 General Election, alongside former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi as governor, he would push for the tea factories’ debts to be written off within one and a half years.
He said farmers could have received as much as Sh47 per kilogramme if the deductions and financial burdens affecting the sector had been addressed.
Lawyer Marius Maranya, who recently resigned from Governor Isaac Mutuma M’Ethingia’s Cabinet, read a court order to residents. He said the court had certified the matter as extremely urgent and directed the respondents to reply to the petition within seven days.
Mr Maranya said the court had issued conservatory orders restraining the Agriculture Cabinet Secretary, the Attorney General and other relevant officials from collecting the levy pending the hearing and determination of the case. He said the matter would come up on November 9 for further directions.
He said the Tea Board of Kenya had suspended collection of the levy after being served with the court order, but warned that the petitioners would continue pursuing its permanent removal.
Mr Imanyara said he and other petitioners had moved to court seeking the complete removal of the 0.8 per cent tea levy, adding that they had petitioned the Tea Board of Kenya, the Attorney General and Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe.
ALSO READ:
Mr Imanyara accused Senator Murungi of allowing the tea levy to pass during his tenure as Senate Speaker, arguing that the deduction had worsened the financial position of tea factories and reduced farmers’ earnings. He warned farmers that re-electing the current leadership would leave them exposed to continued low bonuses.
He further accused Senator Murungi of retreating from the tea levy dispute and suggested that the senator was considering shifting his political ambitions to avoid a contest with him.
Senator Murungi has previously defended his record on tea reforms, saying he was among the leaders who championed changes in the sector and helped dismantle the old director system. He has also dismissed criticism of his role in the tea reforms as misleading.
Senator Murungi has announced that he will vie for the governorship, vowing to unseat Governor Isaac Mutuma in the 2027 General Election. The husband of former Governor Kawira Mwangaza has also vowed to win the governorship seat, soon after Senator Murungi declared his bid.
